Hi, have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy this chapter, updating early today!

Much love,

Robin

*

The Full Moon

"Damn it! Dani!" Matt yelled, sounding furious and looking it too, he pushed me to the edge of the plateau and started lifting me out with easy strength. "Stay here, stay safe. It's not that damn hard! He almost had you, damn it! Didn't you see the knife?"

I hadn't seen any knife at all and as I now perched on the edge of the plateau, Matt's hands on my waist holding me steady, I didn't see a thing. The entire pool was a churned up mess of mud and sand and blood. I saw not a single sign of Gavin or Clay.

In the moments right after I'd hit Gavin on the arm, I'd struggled to get away from him and hadn't seen quite what had happened. But there was so much more red to the water now than before that I could hazard a guess, not to mention the fact that Matt was without his divers knife.

"I didn't see the knife. The fight was taking so long," I told Matt and cursed when I felt the heat of the moon sink its hooks into me again, causing a fresh shiver to cross my skin and a deep ache low in my bellow. "I just thought if I could distract him... You'd take care of the rest."

There was still a fierce, angry cast to Matt's dark eyes. His chest was heaving from the exertion of the fight and the way his hands gripped my hips told me he was anything but in control. Still, he sighed and gave me a nod, "I did. It's done."

His eyes settled more fully on me and for a long moment it was like we were just stuck like that, locked together. I felt how the moon's heat was getting stronger again, amplified by our nearness and the fact that we were finally safe. He knew it too and shook himself out of it first. "Can you reach the phone? I see it right over there," he managed to let go of me with one hand and pointed.

I had to pull my tail out of the water more, stretch out on my belly so that I could reach the damn thing but I managed. The stone floor was cold to my heated flesh and the scrape on the side of my tail was making itself known; now that the adrenaline was wearing off.

As soon as Matt had hold of the phone he dialed, "Thorne?" There was a pause and then he said, "We're safe, it's taken care off." He paused again while he listened intently, his eyes perusing me as he waited, his free hand stroking along the portion of my tail still in the water. "No this is nothing like that time in Beiroet. Don't worry."

They spoke some more but I had a hard time concentrating again, I knew it was that damn moon and I was really hating it. My eyes were drawn to Matt, I was outlining the wideness of his shoulders. Cataloging the difference between the inked one and the one without. Noting the angry red welt across the left bicep just above the edge of his empty knife sheath.

When he shifted a little closer I could see dozens upon dozens of scratches over his back. Similar to what he'd had last fight with the Corenths but easily ten times worse. When I sucked in a shocked gasp at the sight he pulled back and shrugged. "It's okay Dani, it'll heal."

The phone was on the ledge next to me, I didn't remember seeing him put it there. "Are we going to the Moonfell now?" I wondered. I felt cowardly for thinking it but I didn't think, even for a moment, that I was up for the long swim. Not with the way the moon was digging at me, it felt like at any moment now I'd throw myself at Matt.

"No, we can't wait that long," he said, his voice sounding a little strangled. I was touching his chest, I didn't remember sliding closer to the edge again but I didn't mind. His skin was perfect beneath my fingertips and I wanted to rub my body all over him.

"Get in the tidepool Dani, it'll cool you until I get back," Matt was saying, his voice all growly and fierce again. "I need to get rid of the blood and the bodies." Yuck. I eyed the water, tried to remember how it had gotten that churned up, flinched when I remembered the fight and then rushed to get my tail out of the disgusting muck. "Hurry!" was all I managed as I slithered in a rush across the rocky ledge and into the tidepool which was thankfully still clear and sparkling.

Briefly, I saw how Matt turned to face the murky grotto water before he dove and disappeared. Bodies, he was going to make some bodies disappear. I should want to be as far away from this place as possible but the moon was beating down on me and I was losing the ability to stay coherent. Later, portions of this night would just be big blurs or gaping holes I didn't remember anything about and that was probably for the best.

As I sank down to the bottom of the small tidepool I curled my body tightly into a fetal position. Everything was starting to ache and burn. Deep in my belly, I ached to be full, to have my mate with me. My skin was hypersensitive and I was far too hot. I knew what I needed to ease the pain but it wasn't there and I felt desolate, desperate and sad.

Time had little meaning for a while there but I sensed my mate's approach before he was there. I surfaced, my body aching as I stretched. The grotto water swirled, murky bloody water rushing out into the tunnel and clear, clean seawater rushing back in. As the last of the bloody water disappeared Matt darted out of the tunnel, long sleek body sharp as a shark as he cut through the grotto pool.

He was so beautiful, strong and fierce and protective, the perfect mate. I didn't make the conscious choice to do it but I climbed out of the pool, water still running off my body even as the change slid through me and I was back on two legs. Matt was out of the water the moment he reached the ledge and yanking me into his arms.

All of two moments were spend assuring each other that we were okay and on board with this, as far as either of us was coherent enough to speak at this point. Then Matt's mouth claimed mine in a ferocious kiss, his tattooed arm coming up behind me so his hand could twine into my still wet hair.

We stumbled backwards until we reached the two trunks against one wall and Matt fumbled around behind me until he managed to open the one with the pillows. We spend a brief moment just tossing them in a pile in the corner and then Matt had me around the waist and we were tumbling, falling into the newly created nest.

"I need you, right now!" he demanded as his mouth left open kisses against my throat. There was a ripping, tearing sound and what remained of my shirt disappeared. I didn't care, I was too busy running my hands over his body. Feeling the defined muscles that corded his arms, his shoulders, across his belly.

He had me by the wrists the next moment, pinning my hands above my head while he gave me a fierce, dark-eyed warning. "Don't move." His voice was all husky growl and my nipples tightened in response, heat flicking through my core in a sharp burst. His leg wedg0de mine apart and he settled between my thighs with a deep sigh.

His mouth was on my throat, sucking, nipping and I wasn't happy about being forced to hold still, he wasn't going fast enough. I needed him, I need him now. I spread my legs, hooked my heels behind his thighs and arched up, rubbing against his hardness with my most needy place. Everything felt wet, swollen, too sensitive.

He groaned while I whimpered and then he raised his head so his dark eyes were staring straight into mine. He entered me on a hard, fast thrust but I could take it, I needed it like that. He set a fast, punishing pace and I met him every step of the way. My body coiling tightly until my orgasm broke over me with almost painful intensity. My orgasm triggered his and on a low moan he collapsed on top of me. His grip on my wrists finally easing, he had just enough sense to put most of his weight to one side, half rolling off me so I didn't end up crushed.

I didn't complain. Maybe the moon heat had eased some now but I didn't think I could bear being parted from him. I was exhausted from everything that happened, from all the strain my body had been through. There was a part of me that worried about any injuries Matt had sustained and I wanted to muster the energy to take care of them; except I simply couldn't.

I sank into an exhausted slumber, I didn't know how long it was, maybe minutes, maybe longer. When I woke it was because Matt had stirred. He was leaning on one arm and using his other to run his fingers over my body. As I opened my eyes his dark orbs met mine, "You okay Dani Darling? I wasn't too rough?"

Shaking my head I smirked at him, "No way." "Good," he murmured and then he dipped his head and leaned in for a kiss that curled my toes. If I thought the heat was done with us I was sorely mistaken. The moment our lips met, desire surged hot and fast and we were lost in each other for the next while.

It wasn't until we'd slaked our passion that I finally managed to find the clarity and more importantly, the energy to convince Matt to have a look at his injuries. He assured me he only had superficial wounds but I wanted to make sure for myself so I dragged out the extensive medical kit Matt kept on hand here and doctored his back.

The scratches didn't look as bad once they were cleaned and the scrape on his bicep didn't need stitches or anything like that. When I worked on him I noticed he had his divers knife back in the sheath on his arm. "I lost the one you gave me... I think the Corenths took it off me when they took me from the car."

He shrugged, "It's just a knife, don't worry. It matters far more that we survived this and that it's finally over. Fletch can make a new one." Then he moaned like a baby when I dabbed a scrape on his cheek with peroxide and smiled when I leaned in and pressed a kiss just below it. "I'm okay. We're okay. You're safe Dani."

When I finished cataloging and caring for his injuries I concluded that he had a good many bruises and scratches but indeed nothing life threatening. I had come out of this with a nasty scrape over my leg, courtesy of my flight and not much else. We had been incredibly lucky.

*

Soooo... Who wants to have a final confrontation between Dani and Jamie? Let me know in the comments. ^.^

Much love,

Robin